Princess Marie-Victoria,
heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the
Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will
serve?

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the
ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the
Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor
has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She
rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen.

But
even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is
nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the
Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two
kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match
between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But
Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the
Queen's Guard.

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician
in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face,
allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's
always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the
chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran
England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only
rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.